The new age “Career” parenting
Kindergartners learn 60% of things by observation and imitation. Emulating the parents, teachers or any other significant character can easily be seen around in any household. We all have imitated our favourite cartoon characters or celebrities in all their actions and styles.
To augment this learning by observation concept, most parents refuse to argue, converse emotional matters in front of their children. The basics of soft skills learning actually happens during their early years. The way we greet others, communicate, negotiate and manage conflicts without being loud is what paves the path of learning essential skills and etiquettes. A similar concept takes place in the realm of Career Guidance. A child learns about careers by parents sub-consciously. Thus by observation the child can decide to follow a parents or guardians career path. While children observe their parents career path, they happen to have direct experience. A number of parents bring work home these days or they have an office set up at home. While it gives them the convenience of taking care of work and home both, it might sometime hinders the learning curve of children especially when the parents are dealing with people from different socio-economic status. Another set of parents are those who rarely spend time with their families because of work. This might steer them away from pursuing the same career path as they felt deprive of their parents presence in their life.
Indirect experiences are the one where children listen to the stories of success, bravery, courage or may be a rebel movement that impacts them deeply. You never know when and how a social activist, a story teller, a musician or a beat boxer is taking shape in your family.
These childhood experiences have a substantive impact on how children decide on their careers. Hence, by unique experiences kids can decide to follow a parents/guardians career path or not. Sharing your experiences, discussing and reading their spoken or unspoken thoughts is the key to find out how their career choices are shaping up.
You are being observed!
Chetna Sabharwal
Head, College Placements & Guidance
Boosting Your College Application
The primary goal of higher education is to adequately prepare students to achieve success in their future careers. While facing a certain level of academic rigor and gaining important life skills can be considered crucial facets of career preparedness that students receive while in school, more and more importance is being placed on the value of experiential learning.
Summers are the best time for high school students to utilize and start looking at the most productive ways to spend their time away from school. While some of them will prefer to travel and visit their relatives or have a short vacation, the ideal way for high schoolers will be to look for a summer program, internships, community services or job shadowing experience. This will not only help them in making their portfolio look noticeable but also will help them in getting trained on essential transferable skills. Let’s figure out the basic peculiarities of the three options to make the right choice:
Job Shadowing: Job shadowing is an experience where you spend a day or a few days observing a professional on the job. While job shadowing, you can easily learn about different jobs and help decide which careers you would enjoy the most. Job shadowing is popular with students because it introduces them to different careers and helps them decide which jobs would be the best fit for them. It will also help in understanding the skills, training and personality traits required for a specific role and most often students’ myths about a certain role or career are dispelled. Job shadowing is especially helpful because knowing which jobs you enjoy can help you decide on a major when you begin applying to colleges. A job shadow usually lasts one day, but there are cases when they can last several days to give you a more in-depth look at a certain career or company.
Internships: An intern is an assistant or trainee working to gain practical experience in an occupation. Internships are an excellent way to gain experience in a career field of interest as well as an opportunity to try out one or more careers by getting a behind the scenes look at what it is actually like working in the field. Students can apply their classroom learning experience in the professional environment, gain coveted work experience and establish critical networking connections in the future world of work. Usually the internships are of longer duration like 4-8 weeks or more and these could be paid or unpaid. Students can take up several internships to get exposure to a variety of related jobs or even to check out various careers of interest. There are many internships offered online through internship sites such as monstertrak, internshala.com, Letsintern, interships.com, etc.
Volunteering/Community Services: Volunteering is simply the act of “voluntarily” giving your time and energy to help a cause. Normally, the volunteer receives no tangible benefits from the work except the fact that the experiences can be personally enriching and life changing sometimes. For instance, a student who seems directionless might find his call when exposed to such experiences. Volunteers are not bound by a contract of employment unlike interns. Nevertheless, volunteers should sign a volunteer agreement in order that both the charity or organization and the volunteer are protected and are aware of the expectations. Students these days can also choose to start their own work as a club to contribute to any cause or work virtually by contributing their expertise in technical skills, digital marketing, designing, fund raising etc. As this is not a time bound activity, students can be a part of the organizations for lifetime as well.
Summer Programs: Summer programs from various universities and schools are offered to the high schoolers to get a foretaste of the courses, skills and places that the students might be planning for the future. These are offered by the best of universities around the world and the process of applications could be very competitive but this also prepares students to understand the college applications and the universities. The idea is to experience the campus, the faculty, the courses and the local culture during the program as it helps the students in short listing their choices of courses, colleges and countries. These programs are offered in India as well as abroad. Also, the programs like Yale Young Scholar Program, Young Social Leader Program, and Wheaton College Global Leaders Program are excellent opportunities to the students to develop 21st Century skills like leadership, collaboration, critical thinking and communication. The major benefits that I have observed as a college advisor are that the students become independent, self-reliant and good decision makers.
You may also look at some other options like taking an online course from educational portals like coursera.org, edx.org, udemy.org, mooc.org to upskill yourself in specific domains like programming, design, coding, psychology, art, digital marketing, accounting etc. These courses are available to anyone and everyone as there are no pre-requisites except the willingness to learn.
Choose wisely! Choose well!
Chetna Sabharwal
Head, College Placements & Guidance
Making the Right Choice
Being in the senior most class in a school always gives a different high. The right to lead, discuss and freedom is what each one of the senior grade students loves and relishes. As parents and educators, we may always have a difference of opinion and yet, few of us are experienced enough how to take everything in our stride and keep guiding. Choosing a college for the higher education is nevertheless a daunting task that can sometimes be too stressful for all. As a career coach, my advice is to start early and avoid last minute decisions as it’s a matter of spending 3-4 years in a place that will prepare you for life.
Research, Research & Research
Duplicate, redundant and incorrect information may be available on various sites that claim of being updated, authentic and reliable. Never take a chance on this and rather than searching, learn how to research about the courses and colleges. The best way is to look for the official website of the universities and entrances offered by them. You may also keep a record of last year brochures, cut offs and tentative list of colleges. An in-depth look into the course structure of degree offered, helps in making the decision.
To Follow or not to follow
Friends, Siblings and cousins who already have chosen their career path can be the great mentors provided, you and they share the same aptitude, interest and personality. Similarly, you and your best friend in the same class may or may not land up in the same university inspite of trying your best. So, the key is to keep your goals aligned towards the right fit for you.
Carrying the Legacy
Parents are the key influencers when it comes to choosing a career, college or course. Their enlightenment about the current scenario may not be up to date though. Be careful of succumbing to the pressure of legacy of profession that has been followed in your family from the centuries. What you need is neither to be a rebel nor to be a blind follower. Analyze yourself deeply and then take a decision. Psychometric Tests are definitely helpful in finding the direction.
Big City Brand
My personal preference of sequential steps towards finalizing the college list is Course always first. Second preference is the college review about the exposure a student will get in the 3-4 years. Thirdly, the personal traits of the students are important to consider. A small fish in a big pond or a big fish in a small pond- the choice has to be yours. Survival could be a challenge for those who lack skills like adaptability, critical thinking and communication.
Be the Excel King
Keeping a list of colleges ready in the beginning of grade 11 is always recommended. You may keep adding or deleting it once your research, discussion with mentors or change in course choices happens. The last two years of school are crucial in building up the right profile for the university that you are targeting. An excel sheet comes handy when you have to keep a track of entrances, eligibility criteria, standardized tests, timeline and country preferences.
Remember! Rome was not built in a day!
Follow the stated mantras in any order and you will make it to the right college!!
Chetna Sabharwal
Head, College Placements & Guidance